CARSON, CA (Tuesday, February 28, 2006) - The first round of the highly competitive selection process for the Battle of the High School Marching Bands begins tomorrow, March 1. Phase one calls for interested high school marching bands to submit one video and audio \"Southern Show Style\" performance. The eight finalists selected will compete for $10,000 and prizes at the third annual event on Saturday, November 18, 2006 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Beginning tomorrow and through March 24, interested schools can enter the selection process. The eight finalists will be announced on April 7, 2006 and all eight bands are invited to march in the Disneyland Holiday Main Street Parade at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. the day after the event, on Sunday, November 19. To apply for the 2006 Battle of the High School Marching Bands, high schools must submit a VHS tape or DVD with one video and audio performance by their marching band via U.S. Mail. Official contest rules are available at www.homedepotcenter.com and www.vh1savethemusic.com.

On Saturday, November 18, the eight finalists will battle it out \"Southern Show Style\" in the 27,000-seat soccer stadium at The Home Depot Center in front of thousands of fans, and a panel of celebrity and music industry executives for the grand prize of $10,000 to purchase new instruments or uniforms, plus new marching shoes from Drillmasters Corp.

Last year, more than 100 high school marching bands applied to compete in the Battle of the High School Marching Bands, which raised more than $100,000 in 2005. Louisiana Leadership Institute High School from Baton Rouge, La. was crowned the champion in front of more than 9,000 fans, beating out five other schools from across the nation, including local Los Angeles high schools Alain Locke, Crenshaw and Inglewood High Schools.

Proceeds from the event benefit The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

About the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
Since VH1 Save The Music was created in 1997, more than $30 million worth of new musical instruments has been donated to 1,200 public schools in 80 cities, improving the lives of more than 700,000 children. VH1 Save The Music's many honors include the Governors' Award (a special Emmy Award), the George Foster Peabody Award for broadcast and cable excellence, and many Beacon Awards.

About The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation
The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial and in-kind support for educational, recreational and social service programs which improve the lives of young people in the Greater Southern California region. The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation has given more than $400,000 to youth organizations since The Home Depot Center opened in 2003.

About The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is southern California's home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez (CSUDH) Hills in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features a 13,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby, lacrosse and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams - Major League Soccer's 2005 MLS and U.S. Open Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy; Club Deportivo (CD) Chivas USA; and Major League Lacrosse's (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) USA Tennis High Performance Training Center as well as the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi's Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and the nationally recognized Athletes' Performance training center for elite and professional athletes are all based at The Home Depot Center. The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling, USA Track & Field and the USTA.